Should I go with the 540i or the 528i?

[NLCarrII]

Hey Guys,

I am still in the market for another vehicle. I really want a 540i 6speed, but am weary of making a V8 my daily driver with gas the way it is. How is the mileage on a 540i with a mildly heavy foot? If I opt out for the 540, I might look into the 528's.

Nathan

[E30SPDFRK]

I think my friend gets high teens with a pretty heavy foot in his 540/6. The maintenence of the v8s is a lot more than the six's, but it is so much more fun to drive. I would presonally say get the 528 if you are looking for a dd with good gas mileage.

[HST]

My 540 iA, E39, gets 17 with the wife driving, I get 14-15 when I drive it. It is a blast to drive, great to blow the doors of most cars out there in a 4 door family car. I'm looking for a 530 iT 5-speed to replace it though.

EDIT: The v8 is a bitch on maintenance, if I had it to do again i'd get a 6 cyl if you do alot of daily driving.

[bimerok]

I have both 540ia and 540i 6spd (btw 6spd is for sale).
How are you guys getting that little on your cars? Do you drive with one foot on the gas and the other is on the brake?

I'm getting about 20.5 mpg of combined driving... and that includes a few sections of highway where I'm doing about 100mph almost every day on the way home.

6cyl and 8cyl is day and night differance. Driving 540 and have no regrets. Would never go to 528.

Also maintenance is not an issue between 2 (unless if you're to replace the engine)

[SchnellerVert]

528i sport with 6 speed. And when you can afford it add a Supercharger.

[speedhop]

528i sport with 6 speed. And when you can afford it add a Supercharger.

Exactly

[uofom3]

528i sport with 6 speed. And when you can afford it add a Supercharger.

yup... great idea.

I like my 4.4 in my x5 a lot... it has a ton of grunt. I'm pretty sure that motor is the same (or very similar) to the one in the 5 series... it rips pretty well. But, an SC 528i would do very well as well.